I have never sailed on Princess but am very interested in fellow chat member's opinions of the dancing shows on the two ships. Princess is owned by Carnival but the experience could be very different. Specifically, How elaborate are the costumes, how good are the dancers, is the choreography good, how about the sets? What do you see the dancers doing other than dancing? On the Fun Ships they run Bingo, the Library, pose for photos, boat drill, Port duty etc.
I'm sure there are plenty of cruisers out there that have been on both. Or maybe doing a princess soon and could take note for me.
Thanks

The shows on Princess are great. The costumes and choreography are magnificent and the sets are good. The dancers do other things on Princess as well. To me, and this is only my opinion, the shows on Princess seem more professional. Best wishes!

CruiseDad, I'll second everything penny3333 said. I pay particularly close attention to the shows as I worked as a musician for Princess many years ago. The shows are 1000% better than they were when I was backing them; of course there is no way you could have put on a big production on the original Island, Pacific or Sun Princess.
I think the dancers are the highlight of the shows--and I'm not just saying that because I know your daughter is a dancer. The dancers are the best, followed by, in my opinion, the lighting, the choreography, then set design and costumes. The musicians and singers are adequate, with an occasional stand-out guest performer. I saw a banjo player once that blew me away, in spite of the fact he was playing a six string, which I consider an abomination.
And yes, as Penny said, I see the dancers doing all the other things you mentioned.
I have not been on a Carnival cruise so I can't offer a comparison; but I can tell you I am very impressed by the level of professionalism, the enthusiasm and the energy of the Princess dancers.
The writing in the shows leaves a lot to be desired; the shows have become pretty formulaic and at times, even trite: but you didn't ask about that and it dosen't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the entertainment.

Originally posted by CruiseDad:
I have never sailed on Princess but am very interested in fellow chat member's opinions of the dancing shows on the two ships. Princess is owned by Carnival but the experience could be very different. Specifically, How elaborate are the costumes, how good are the dancers, is the choreography good, how about the sets? What do you see the dancers doing other than dancing? On the Fun Ships they run Bingo, the Library, pose for photos, boat drill, Port duty etc.
I'm sure there are plenty of cruisers out there that have been on both. Or maybe doing a princess soon and could take note for me.
Thanks

Cruise Dad,
Princess is owned by Carnival Corporation and PLC. not Carnival Cruise lines. Therefore; yes, they will be separate experiences because they do operate separately. I have found the entertainment on Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, and Princess all to be very good and professional. It can vary from ship to ship.

I thought shows were great on both lines, but I give the edge to Princess. When we were on Diamond Princess, both the shows AND the sets were amazing. I recall remarking that I had never seen such elaborate sets in a ship's theatre before. And, the quality of the shows matched them -- superb choreography, music, theme, dancing, and singing. Of course, Carnival didn't do a bad job either -- it was still excellent, just not as superb.

There are also a few differences in the timing of the shows between the two lines. As you know from being a past guest, Carnival runs the Welcome Aboard show and the Legends show just one time each. (And, as a past guest, you know why -- but I'm not telling. ). On Princess, shows are held twice -- and, the two major production shows are each held three times (two on one night, one on another). This is so that those with Anytime Dining can have a chance to see the show, but all pax can go to as many shows as they wish as many times as they wish.

Originally posted by f-mattox:
CruiseDad, I'll second everything penny3333 said. I pay particularly close attention to the shows as I worked as a musician for Princess many years ago. The shows are 1000% better than they were when I was backing them; of course there is no way you could have put on a big production on the original Island, Pacific or Sun Princess.
I think the dancers are the highlight of the shows--and I'm not just saying that because I know your daughter is a dancer. The dancers are the best, followed by, in my opinion, the lighting, the choreography, then set design and costumes. The musicians and singers are adequate, with an occasional stand-out guest performer. I saw a banjo player once that blew me away, in spite of the fact he was playing a six string, which I consider an abomination.
And yes, as Penny said, I see the dancers doing all the other things you mentioned.
I have not been on a Carnival cruise so I can't offer a comparison; but I can tell you I am very impressed by the level of professionalism, the enthusiasm and the energy of the Princess dancers.
The writing in the shows leaves a lot to be desired; the shows have become pretty formulaic and at times, even trite: but you didn't ask about that and it dosen't really detract from my overall enjoyment of the entertainment.

Nice this is great information. Especially when it comes from a first hand backstage guy like yourself. The responses are all good. And what a help this will be for my daughter. Sounds like the Princess Shows are grand. I can't wait to get on board the Liberty next week and see her with all this great info.